I have thought a lot about death in my 48 years of life. I have done hundreds of funerals. Prayed with many people during the last moments of their life. I have held family members as they watched the life pass from their loved one. I have felt the sting of the loss of grandparents, an uncle, and other family members. I have lost close friends and many classmates/acquaintances.
I will say that I have witnessed death that has seemed gracious, the end to a very difficult illness or disease. While I have seen that grace, it has not always seemed like gain. The absence of suffering does not necessarily mean there has been a gain; just a subtraction of a minus.
I will never forget a funeral for one of my high school friend's grandfather. The church that morning seemed more like a party than a funeral. It was a true celebration. You could feel the gain. You could tell that he was not only better off but better indeed.
How do you look forward to your death? Is it an event to be dreaded or a moment to be prized? How do you live in light of death?
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